Live And Learn Society

What Live And Learn Society does

Live & Learn, Inc. is a California-based consultancy founded in 2014 by Laysha Ostrow, PhD, MPP, operating as a solo practice from Morro Bay in San Luis Obispo County. The firm delivers participatory action research, grant writing, program design, evaluation, and consulting services to nonprofits, government agencies (federal, state, and county), and university research centers, with a substantive focus on workforce development, inclusive entrepreneurship, and economic empowerment for people with mental health challenges and other disabilities.

The firm's product portfolio spans consulting services and several standalone products. The flagship is Reclaiming Employment, an evidence-based online self-employment education and support platform for people with mental health challenges, built with Universal Design for Learning and Transtheoretical Model of Change principles and developed iteratively through federal SBIR funding from 2018 to 2026; it bundles the REcoach 12-week Peer Business Coaching curriculum, self-paced courses, a curated resource library, and a community forum. Complementary products include Elevate, Evaluate (an online program-evaluation capacity-building platform currently in Phase I development), a Program Self-Evaluation Guidebook, and the IPSCC Scale for measuring peer-support competencies.

The business model is professional services combined with grant-funded R&D. Revenue is generated through consulting contracts, federal and foundation research grants (the firm has served as project lead or co-lead on eight federal research grants for SAMHSA, California DHCS, and the Administration for Community Living), and SBIR awards supporting the Reclaiming Employment platform. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven via academic publications, UCSF affiliation, and direct consulting engagement; pricing is not publicly disclosed and appears to be contract-based rather than product-based. Geographic reach is concentrated in California and the broader United States, with the Reclaiming Employment online platform theoretically accessible globally.

Name

Live And Learn Society

Legal name

Live & Learn, Inc.

Website

https://livelearninc.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Live & Learn, Inc. is a Morro Bay, California consultancy founded in 2014 that delivers participatory action research, grant writing, program design, and evaluation services to nonprofits, government agencies, and universities, with a focus on workforce development and self-employment support for people with mental health challenges.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Policy and Public Health Research Consulting

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)

Keywords

• Grant writing services
• Program evaluation consulting
• Participatory action research
• Workforce development consulting
• Social policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Morro Bay

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Consultancy services partnering with nonprofits, governments, and universities on participatory action research, grant writing, program design, R&D, and evaluation.
2. Federal Research Grants: Served as project lead and co-lead on eight federal research grants for agencies including SAMHSA, California DHCS, and Administration for Community Living.
3. SBIR Program R&D: Research and development through federal SBIR program for the virtual training and coaching program Reclaiming Employment (2018-2026).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Live & Learn, Inc. is a solo consultancy that partners with nonprofits, governments, and universities on participatory action research, delivering grant writing, program design, research and development, and evaluation services. The firm also develops and operates online education and capacity-building platforms — most notably Reclaiming Employment, a self-employment support program for people with mental health challenges — alongside research tools such as the IPSCC scale and toolkits for community-based organizations.

Product overview

Live And Learn Society operates as a consultancy offering a portfolio of products and services focused on workforce development, entrepreneurship support, and program evaluation for populations with mental health challenges. The core product is Reclaiming Employment, an online self-employment education platform that includes the REcoach Peer Business Coaching curriculum, self-paced courses, and a community forum. Related offerings include Elevate, Evaluate (a program evaluation platform), the Program Self-Evaluation Guidebook, and consulting/advisory services. The company also developed research tools including the IPSCC scale for assessing peer support competencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consulting and Advising Services Organizational and workforce development consulting focused on employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for people with mental health challenges, using Participatory Action Research frameworks to support grant writing, program design, evaluation, and policy analysis for nonprofits, government agencies, and universities.
• Reclaiming Employment Evidence-based self-employment education and support platform for people with mental health challenges, featuring self-paced courses, peer coaching, a resource library, and a community forum.
• REcoach Peer Business Coaching Curriculum Structured 12-week Peer Business Coaching curriculum within the Reclaiming Employment platform, designed using Universal Design for Learning, goal-oriented coaching, and peer support principles to help users navigate emotional and logistical challenges of small business startup.
• Elevate, Evaluate Platform Online learning platform designed to build capacity among small community-based organizations to conduct program evaluation, featuring automation of data analysis. Currently in Phase I development.
• Guidebook for Program Self-Evaluation Practical guide providing peer support programs with tools to conduct low-cost self-evaluations, including developing logic models and collecting data.
• IPSCC Scale (Intentional Peer Support Core Competencies) Measurement tool designed to assess core competencies in intentional peer support, identifying three factors: Connection, Risk, and Communication.

Quantifiable outcome

• Entrepreneurial self-efficacy scores significantly increased between baseline and post-intervention follow-up for Reclaiming Employment users; biggest gains in overall self-efficacy and planning self-efficacy
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UCSF Department of PsychiatrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership and consulting collaboration. Laysha Ostrow maintains a Visiting Professional appointment at UCSF to stay current on science and collaborate with experts and trainees.
• UCSF Department of NursingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for research collaboration.
• Temple University Collaborative on Community InclusioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on community inclusion for people with disabilities.
• UIC Center on Mental Health Services Research and PolicycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research on community inclusion and mental health services.
• University of New Mexico Department of Behavioral HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for behavioral health research.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFederal agency client for evaluation research, consulting, and policy analysis to advance civil rights of people with disabilities. Presented Career Outcomes Study findings at SAMHSA.
• California Department of Health Care ServicescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState government client for policy analysis and evaluation consulting.
• National Center for Trauma-Informed CareminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTechnical assistance and consulting partnership.
• Doors to Wellbeing Technical Assistance CenterminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTechnical assistance partnership for peer support programs.
• Alameda County Behavioral Health, CaliforniaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCounty-level behavioral health consulting engagement.
• Los Angeles County Mental HealthminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCounty mental health system evaluation partnership.
• Trinity County Behavioral Health, CaliforniaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCounty-level behavioral health consulting.
• Greater Oregon Behavioral Health Inc.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNonprofit behavioral health organization consulting partnership.
• California Association of Mental Health Peer-Run OrganizationscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState association partnership for peer-run organizations advocacy.
• Heart & Soul, Inc. San MateominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNonprofit consulting partnership in San Mateo, California.
• The Social ChangeryminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSocial change consulting organization partnership.
• Advocates for Human PotentialminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsulting partnership for human potential and behavioral health.
• Human Services Research InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institute partnership for human services research.
• SCORE San Luis ObispominorGTM or Marketing PartnerLaysha Ostrow serves as SCORE small business mentor, providing entrepreneurship guidance to community members.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Cloudburst Group: Federal consulting firm specializing in behavioral health, housing, and human services, competing for the same SAMHSA and state-level evaluation and workforce contracts as Live & Learn.
• Human Services Research Institute (HSRI): Nonprofit research and consulting organization focused on behavioral health, disability, and peer support services — a current Live & Learn partner that delivers comparable evaluation and program-design services.
• JBS International: Health and human services consultancy providing research, evaluation, and training to federal agencies including SAMHSA, overlapping directly with Live & Learn's federal behavioral health contract work.
• Doors to Wellbeing Technical Assistance Center: Technical assistance center supporting peer-run mental health organizations, currently partnered with Live & Learn on peer-support program initiatives and serving overlapping CBO customers.
• National Center for Trauma-Informed Care: SAMHSA-affiliated initiative advancing trauma-informed peer support and workforce practice — directly comparable as a peer-support technical assistance provider and current Live & Learn consulting partner.
• Advocates for Human Potential: Behavioral health and human services consulting firm that partners with federal, state, and local agencies on program design, evaluation, and workforce development — closely aligned with Live & Learn's consulting portfolio and current partnership roster.

Broad incumbents

• Mathematica: Policy research and data analytics consultancy that conducts federal and state program evaluations in health and human services, structurally comparable to Live & Learn's research-driven consulting practice.
• Abt Associates: Global research and consulting firm with deep federal health and human services evaluation practices, competing for the same SAMHSA and state behavioral health engagements that Live & Learn supports.
• Westat: Large employee-owned research firm conducting social science, health, and evaluation studies for federal agencies — comparable in its participatory action research approach but operating at significantly greater scale.
• RTI International: Independent research institute with major federal health and behavioral health research portfolios, providing a comparable mix of evaluation, R&D, and program-design services to government clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Live And Learn Society